The ‘i-4-1-Health’ project will aim at a more clear understanding of antibiotic resistance in healthy people and in the pig and poultry sector through research and innovation. This One Health project is lead by the Amphia hospital in Breda, project leader Jan Kluytmans explains the need for this project: “Cross-border collaboration is important as the spread of antibiotic resistance does not stop at the country borders. In the Flanders - Netherlands region this is relevant because of the traffic of persons and trade of goods as well as the intense livestock farming in the region. Collaboration between biotechnological sciences, human and veterinary health, micro technology and agro food are very important.”

In the project, a consortium of 26 partners, i.e. nine hospitals, seven public health services, seven universities and three companies, will develop apps and a platform for advanced molecular biology to get a more clear understanding of infection risk, use of antibiotics and the DNA of resistant bacteria. These innovative tools will help to map antimicrobial resistance in livestock farming, the general population and in health care. Routes of infection can be mapped in an early stage and tracked, while risk for society is limited. The project is financed by the EU Interreg Flanders-Netherlands program, with a total budget of 8,5 million Euros of which 3,6 million Euros is funded by the European Fund for Regional Development (EFRO).

Applied Maths will work with several partners to develop a Track and Trace System (TTS) and perform validation in care, public health and livestock. A complete procedure – from sampling to the interpretation of the collected data – will be developed so that contamination routes of antibiotic-resistant pathogens can be identified and properly addressed.

For more information on the i-4-1-Health project and consortium partners, please visit www.i41Health.eu .